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Video 2:27
Dissent d.i.y.

Updated
Mon 26 Oct 2009, 7:15 AM AEDT

Some Lawson locals are deeply distressed over the immediate future of their Blue Mountains town. They claim four heritage shops are soon to be bull dozed because of the widening of the Great Western Highway.

Transcript

QUENTIN DEMPSTER, PRESENTER: Here is some local opinion in our intermittent feature, do-it-yourself dissent video. Some Lawson locals are deeply distressed over the immediate future of their Blue Mountains town. They claim four heritage shops are soon to be bulldozed because of the widening of the Great Western Highway. Here's their video.

LAWSON RESIDENT: Historic Lawson is a disaster area. While widening the Great Western Highway to four lanes, the RTA plans to demolish this entire strip of heritage shops. But as you can see, the four lanes fit in front of the shops without demolition. The magnificent restoration of the Blue Mountain Hotel shows what heritage funding can do for old buildings. Six months ago, this hotel looked just as dilapidated as the old shops, which have been identified as having local heritage significance by several consultants, none of whom, recommended demolition. Professor Ian Jack said they were in good condition and suitable for restoration. He said there is no other comparable group of historic shops fronting the highway in any Blue Mountains town. Consequently, Blue Mountains City Council approved this area as a heritage conservation area. But recently, the RTA, with the State Planning Department, insisted council remove the heritage status so they can bring in the bulldozers. Recently, council exhibited these changes and the public submitted a large number of objections. But the RTA has announced demolition will start this month before these objections have been reported back to councillors. Due process has not been followed as councillors do not yet know what the public want or what they think of this destruction of Blue Mountains history. There has been no opportunity for councillors to request preservation, restoration or relocation of heritage buildings or recycling of facades or brickwork. The local member Bob Devis publically promised no shops would be demolished until the new shops have been built, but the RTA has announced demolition will start next week, long before any new shops are built. Historic shops are to be demolished for a parking lot and to assist with the construction of proposed small, modern, tilt-up, pre-fab.' concrete shops that look more appropriate for an industrial estate. Taxpayers' money spent on demolition would be better spent on restoration of historic shops to compliment the hotel and other historic buildings such as Heatherbray House and the lovely restored cafe. This would create a unique, vibrant, sustainable tourist destination which most Lawson residents want, rather than just another mediocre highway town to drive through.